The second reply of Thomas CartwrightThe second replie of Thomas Cartwright

That one example only / is able to overthrow that which you put so generally: yet your one example off London, is not able to confirm your purpose: it serveth you therefore for a pinch at the city / and for no reason off your cause. And albeit the backsliding from the Gospel / was through the realm very horrible in Queen Mary's days: yet there is no cause to pick London out as the worst / seeing there were great numbers there / which with hazard off all they had / and of their lives / frequented assemblies where the word off God was truly preached / and the Sacraments purely administered: the like meetings being rarely found in other places / no (to our own shame be it spoken) not in the university / where of most right / they should have been.

That one example onely / is hable to ouerthrowe that vvhich yow put so generally: yet yowr one example off London, is not hable to confirme your pourpose: yt serueth yow therfore for a pinche at the citie / and for no reason off yowr cawse. And albeit the backslyding from the Gospell / was throwgh the realme verie horrible in Queene Maries daies: yet there is no cause to picke Londō owte as the worste / seinge there were great nombers there / which vvith hasarde off all they had / and of their lyues / frequented assemblies vvhere the worde off God was truly preached / and the Sacramētes purely administred: the like meetinges beinge rarely founde in other places / no (to our owne shame be yt spokē) not in the vniuersitie / where of moste righte / they should haue beene.

What gain you by that the church was diminished in Jerusalem? seeing the decrease of one church / was the increase off divers other / whereunto those off Jerusalem adjoined them selves. Therefore you conclude not well / in saying that particular churches by persecutions are diminished, because one church off Jerusalem was so: no more than you can say / that a man hath a white head / because he hath one white hear on his head. but I may rather say / that by persecution the particular churches are increased / for so much as Samaria / and other churches were by that flight of Jerusalem / partly adorned with teachers / partly augmented in disciples. And thereby is confirmed that I have set down / off the marvellous spawn off the church under the cross: both because every one driven from Jerusalem / was as good seed which brought his hundred / or fifty fold: and for that after Jerusalem was delivered of that birth / she conceived again / and brought forth (as may appear) a greater number then before.